Photographic camera and carrying case therefor



Oct. 6, 1942. 4- WNABB 2,298,144

PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA AND CARRYING CASE THEREFOR Filed Aug. 15, 1939 2Sheets-Sheet l I) cfose yi W $6 QQZZ 4. H. MCNABB Oct. 6, 1942.

PHO TOGRAPHIC CAMERA AND CARRYING CASE THEREFOR Filed Aug. 15, 1939 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 6, 1942 PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA AND CARRYINGCASE THEREFOR Joseph H. McNabb, Winnetka, 111., assignor to The Bell &Howell Company, Chicago, IlL, a corporation of Illinois ApplicationAugust 15, 1&39, Serial No. 290,266

2 Claims.

My invention relates particularly to a motion picture camera of the handor field type and a carrying case therefor and has for a object theprovision of connecting means, preferably in the form of a flexiblestrap, between the camera and carrying case whereby upon removal of thecamera the case is utilized as a support for the camera, particularlywith reference to the case engaging against a users breast for supportwhen the camera is held in a conventional operating position in front ofthe users face for viewing while photographing.

With this object in view my invention consists in certain features ofnovelty in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts bywhich the said object and certain other objects, hereinafter appearing,are effected all as fully described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the said drawings- Figure l is a side elevation of a motion picturecamera and carrying case embodying my invention and showing the camerain case supported photographing position in front of a users face;

Figure 2 is a perspective View of the camera open for loading andshowing a portion of the structure of my invention attached to thecamera;

Figure 3 is a vertical section of the camera case with the camerainserted therein;

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the case substantially on theline 44 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view substantially on the line 55 ofFigure 3 and with the camera partially broken away.

Referring to the drawings, l designates a typical forwardly andrearwardly elongated motion picture camera of the hand or field typeprovided With a photographic lens 2 and a view finder 3 extending inparallelism with the lens 2, the camera, when not mounted on a tripodnot shown, being held by the hands of a user 4 in front of his face withan eye alined with the view finder for Viewing while photographing. SeeFigure 1.

A relatively rigid correspondingly elongated carrying cas 5 for thecamera is provided with an end opening 6 for corresponding insertion andremoval of the camera I, and is provided with a hingedly related closure1 for the opening 5 which closure is releasably held in closed positionby a releasable latch 8, as is usual in leather camera cases as shown.When the camera I is inserted 2 engages the closed end of the caseopposite the opening 6 and a hollow structure 9 provided with arearwardly facing yieldable element ll surrounds the projecting frontend of the View finder 3 and engages the camera proper, boththese-engagements limiting insertion movement of the camera andcooperating with the closure 1, when closed, to longitudinally positionthe camera in the case. When the closure 1 is in open position, as shownin Figure l, the camera may be inserted and removed from the case.

A flat flexible strap [2, say of leather, has one end thereof secured,as designated at 13, in the interior of the case 5 in the region of theend thereof remote from the opening 6. The strap I2 is of suitablelength and at its other end is provided with a tray formation l4comprising the corresponding end portion of the strap and a surroundingflange l5, preferably of leather and stitched to the strap as designatedat [6. The tray formation 14 is shaped to embrace the bottom portion ofthe camera and hold the camera angularly in a horizontal plane, and thebottom portion of the tray formation is preferably faced with a softmaterial H, such as velour, for engagement with the bottom of thecamera.

The camera is provided with a conventional screwthreaded tripod mountbore l8 in the bottom thereof and a headed screw [9 passes through abore 2| in the strap l2 and is screwthreaded into the bore Hi todetachably secure the camera with the strap, so that the camera may beused independently of the strap and case. Accordingly, the strap issecured with the bottom of the camera flatwise thereof and extendingforwardly therefrom.

The flange l5 of the tray formation I4 is interrupted, as designated at22, so that a hinged door 23 of the camera may be opened and closed forloading and unloading the camera with film without necessitating removalof the tray formation from the camera. See particularly Figure 2.

When the camera is inserted in the case, as shown in Figure 3, the strap12, being secured with the case on the interior thereof, is alsoenclosed in the case.

When the camera is removed from the case, the connections of the strap[2 with the camera and case are so related that the strap may be flexedabout the edge of the opening 6 and the corresponding corner of the caseto position the 7 case with the lower front portion of the camera in thecase 5, see Figure 3, the photographic lens secured with this corner ofthe case against rearward movement of the camera with reference to thecase and with the case extending rearwardly downward from the camera toform a support therefor engaging against the user's breast for supportwhen the camera is held in operating position in front of the usersface, as shown in Figure 1, thus providing a support supplementing theusers hands holding the camera with resulting ease in holding the camerasteady while photographing.

While I have thus described my invention, I donot wish to be limited tothe precise details described as changes may be readily made withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, but having thus described myinvention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent thefollowing:

1. The combination with a forwardly and rearwardly elongatedphotographic camera and a correspondingly elongated carrying casetherefor open at one end for corresponding insertion and removal of thecamera, of a flexible strap spacedly connected with the camera and caseand permitting insertion and removal of the camera with reference to thecase and secured with the case on the interior thereof remote from saidopening and secured with the bottom of the camera and bottom thereof anda correspondingly elongated carrying case for the camera and open at oneend for corresponding insertion and removal of l the camera, of a flatflexible strap spacedly connected with the camera and case andpermitting insertion and removal of the camera with reference to thecase and secured with the case on the interior thereof remote from saidopening and secured with the bottom of the camera fiatwise thereof andextending forwardly therefrom and engageable about a corner of the caseat said open end with the camera above the case to secure the cameraagainst rearward movement with reference to the case, and the securingof said strap with the camera comprising a screw screwthreaded into saidtripod mount bore.

JOSEPH H. McNABB.

